Mr Monk Loses a Friend
by iloveromance
Summary: I was very upset about the way Dr. Kroger's death was barely mentioned on screen, I wrote my own story of how Adrian, Natalie,Randy and Leland might react to such a huge loss. Dedicated to the wonderful & very missed Stanley Kammel. I love you, Stanley!
1. Chapter 1

_Mr. Monk Loses a Friend_

**Chapter 1**

"John Elliot."

Leland Stottlemeyer closed the file folder and tossed it on his desk. "Well, there's another skumbag off the streets. We couldn't have done it without you, Monk."

Adrian sighed. "Happy to help, Captain. Now if I could only find out who killed Tr-"

"Mr. Monk- Natalie said, laying a hand on his arm. "Don't think about that now, okay? You'll find him. I promise."

Adrian couldn't help but smile at Natalie's kind words.

"So how do you do it?" Randy asked. "The body was found 20 miles away and the search team didn't find any evidence linking Elliot to the murder. So how did you figure it out?"

Adrian shrugged. "Easy. Elliot was wearing his watch backwards."

Leland gave Adrian a confused expression. "And this is important because..."

"Well, the guy worked in a jewelry store and if anyone should know the proper way to wear a watch, it's him. He was definitely the guy."

"Yeah... but I still don't.... You know what? It doesn't matter. I don't want to know." Leland said.

Natalie smiled and patted Adrian's back. "Mr. Monk the important thing is that you caught him before he could hurt anyone else. Dr. Kroger is going to be so proud of you when he hears about this."

_Proud _

Adrian pondered the word. Everyone always called him a brilliant detective, but rarely had anyone ever admitted to being proud of him. In fact, the only person who had ever used that word was Dr. Kroger. He hated to admit it, but he owed that man his life. If it weren't for Dr. Kroger, Adrian didn't know where he would be right now; certainly not solving murders. So many times he wanted to tell Dr. Kroger how much he meant to him, but Adrian wasn't one for sentiment. That was Trudy's job.

Leland stood and pulled on his coat. "Well, this has been fun, but I'm going home. See you all in the morning. Thanks again, Monk and Nat-"

The ringing phone interrupted him.

"Damn... every time I try to get out of here something happens." Leland muttered as he picked up the receiver.

"Captain Stottlemeyer here, and this better be good. I have a nice warm house to go home to and- Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know it was you. How are you doing, buddy? "

There was a pause as Leland's expression changed and he sank into his chair.

He covered his mouth with his hand. "Oh no..."

"Dear God... this is horrible. When? "  
Another pause

"How is your mom doing? Yeah, well I suspected that. I can't tell you how sorry I am. We'll keep in touch and if you need anything at all day or night, call me immediately." He sat the receiver down as if in slow motion, seeing three puzzled faces staring at him.

He was suddenly aware of his trembling hands and he had to fight like hell to keep his emotions at bay. Who ever saw a police chief cry? He'd move to Siberia before he let his guard down on the job. Especially in front of the people he cared for the most.

"What's going on, Captain?" Adrian asked.

"You look upset, are you okay? " Natalie added. "Did something happen?" She moved to the other side of the desk and laid a gentle hand on Leland's shoulder. The mere touch almost caused him to lose it.

"Adrian, I need you to go to the basement files and pull everything you can find on Ronald Jacobs."  
"Ronald Jacobs? But we just closed that case!" Adrian said. "He's the guy who was helping Elliot with the murders. Remember? That's why the victim's body was found so far away. They didn't think we would figure it out."  
"But you did!" Randy added. "You're a genius"

Leland's emotions were starting to get the better of him. "Monk, I gave you an order..."  
This made Adrian laugh. "Right, Captain. That's funny. An order... I'm not even on the force and-"  
"MONK, JUST DO IT! NOW!"

Leland's outburst caused Natalie, Randy and Adrian to jump. Speechless, Adrian winced at the Captain's unusually harsh tone.

"Right away, sir."

Quickly he left the room, closing the door behind him.

Randy leaned over to Natalie and whispered. "Sounds like someone needs another round of anger management therapy"

"Randy, is there something you want to share with all of us?"

"Um, no sir, but you might want to consider-"  
"SHUT UP, RANDY!" Leland yelled.

"Captain, what is _wrong _with you?" Natalie asked. "Randy's right. You really _do_ need anger management classes. Did something happen? Who was that on the phone?"

Quickly, Leland reached into his desk and grabbed a box of Kleenex, then tossed it onto the desk. Now he was officially humiliated; on the verge of crying in front of his best friends.

_Guess I'd better start packing for Siberia..._

Randy and Natalie watched as Leland sat down on his office sofa, burying his face in his hands.

Randy sat down beside him and patted him on the shoulder. "Captain? Are you all right?"

"Have a seat, Natalie." Leland said, gesturing to a chair next to the sofa. "Oh and Randy, could you close the blinds?"  
Natalie and Randy exchanged worried glances as Randy did as he was told.

Leland took a deep breath. "That was Troy on the phone."  
"Dr Kroger's son, Troy?" Randy asked with a grin. "Well how about that! I haven't talked to that guy in ages. We really need to get together and have a jam session, and-"

Natalie touched Randy's shoulder. "Randy, something's wrong. Go on, Captain."

"Dr. Kroger had a heart attack this morning."

Natalie and Randy stared at Leland in stunned silence.

"Oh my God..." Natalie said. "But he's going to be okay, right?"  
The question was met with silence and she felt herself grow hot with fear.

"He'll be fine. I'm sure of it." Randy said, searching the Captain's face for reassurance. When he found none, he sighed. "Oh my God..."  
Tears filled Natalie's eyes. "You mean he's... gone? This is a joke, right? Well, it's not funny, Captain!"  
"I wish to hell it was a joke." Leland said. "They found him this morning, just before breakfast."

"No... There has to be some mistake!" Natalie said. She paced the room nervously, her hands on her head.

"Natalie, I heard it from the man's son. I don't think Troy would make something like this up." Leland said.

Tears streamed down Natalie's cheeks and her voice trembled. "But that's impossible. I-I mean, I just saw him yesterday. H-he hugged me when I went to pick up Mr. Monk and thanked me for taking care of him. He was fine and... Oh God...." She began to sob into her hands. "This isn't happening."

She turned to Randy and fell into his arms, crying as he rubbed her back. "I'm so sorry..." He whispered; a hint of trembling in his own voice.

By this time, Leland no longer cared about the tears that were spilling onto his cheeks. "Now, the question is... how are we going to tell Monk?"

"He'll be devastated." Natalie said.

Leland sighed. "Well, I guess there's no time like the present. I need to tell him and get it over with."

"Captain, I should be the one to tell him." Natalie said.

"What will you say?"

" God, I don't know but I guess it will just come to me. I mean, he loved Dr. Kroger so much and now..." Another sob escaped, as Randy took her in his arms again.

Suddenly the office door opened. "I found the file, Captain, but I still don't...." Adrian stopped short, noticing the three solemn expressions staring at him. "What's wrong? Natalie, did something happen to Julie?"

Natalie sniffled and brushed the tears from her face. "No, Mr. Monk, but we need to talk to you."  
"Are you sure you're okay?"  
"Yeah... I'm fine... "Natalie said, grabbing a Kleenex from Leland's desk.

"Natalie, you're crying."

"Please, Mr. Monk. Sit down for a minute." She took his hand and tried to coax him into sitting down, but Adrian remained standing.  
"What's going on? Why is everyone so upset?" Adrian asked.

"Monk, Dr. Kroger had a heart attack this morning." Leland said.

Crestfallen, Adrian lowered himself into a chair. "Heart attack...."

"Yeah, and I'm afraid that he-"

Suddenly Adrian sprang from his seat.

"Well what are we sitting around here for? We need to get over to the hospital right now!"

"Monk, you don't understand." Leland said.

Natalie took both of Adrian's hands. "Mr. Monk, Dr. Kroger loved you. You know that, right? I mean, I know he was your therapist but he was also your friend. He loved having you for a patient." Her voice trembled as she said the words.

"Well of _course _we're friends, Natalie. What are you trying to say?"

Natalie took a deep breath. "Mr. Monk, Dr. Kroger died this morning."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Mr. Monk, I'm so sorry." Natalie said, rubbing his shoulder. "Dr. Kroger, he... he was a great man."

But Adrian said nothing. He stared out the window, trying to shake the familiar feeling of loss that consumed his soul. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and slowly began to rock back and forth, ignoring the confused glances from Natalie, Randy and Leland.

"Mr. Monk, are you okay? Say something, please."

Adrian remained quiet.

Natalie cast a worried glance toward Leland. "Wh-what's wrong with him? I've never seen him like this before."

She reached out and touched Adrian's shoulder. "Oh God, he's shaking." When she touched his cheek, the contact made her jump. "And his skin is cold! What's happening?"

Randy put a supportive arm around her shoulder. "He's had quite a shock, Natalie. First Trudy, now this."

They watched as Adrian continued to rock back and forth.

Leland grabbed a blanket from his sofa and laid it around Adrian's shoulders.

"Monk!"

When Adrian didn't respond, Leland positioned himself in front of his friend. "How are you doing, buddy? Look, I know this news is hard to believe. Hell, even I still don't believe it, but Dr. Kroger would want you to be strong. Now we need for you to talk to us so we know you're all right."

Fresh tears ran down Natalie's cheeks. "Please Mr. Monk. We love you. We need you with us. Come back..."

"Look, um... you should get him home, Natalie." Leland said. "Randy's right. He's had a hell of a shock and maybe some familiar surroundings will help him recover from this, or at least provide some comfort."

"Yeah... I guess you're right." Natalie said, grabbing her car keys. "Come on, Mr. Monk. Let's go." Gently she eased Adrian out of the chair, and put her arm around him.

"Are you going to be okay getting home?" Leland asked.

Natalie nodded. "Yeah, we'll be fine. I have the keys to Mr. Monk's house. I can stop by my place and get a change of clothes. I don't think he should be alone tonight."

"That's a good idea." Leland said, enveloping her into a hug. "Call me if you need anything, you got that? I'll stop by tomorrow to check on you two. "

"Thank you, Captain."

At the door she turned to Leland and Randy, smiling through her tears. "You two are wonderful friends. I-I just want you to know how much I love you both."

Randy and Leland watched as Natalie gently guided Adrian out of the police station.


	3. Chapter 3

Mr. Monk Loses a Friend

Chapter 3

"Okay, Mr. Monk. Let's get you home. The Captain's right. Some familiar surroundings will definitely help." Natalie helped Adrian fasten his seat belt, and then shut the door.

"Natalie!"

She looked up to find Randy running toward her.

"Lieutenant Disher! What's wrong?"

Randy hesitated before speaking. "Look, let me drive you and Monk home."

Natalie smiled. "Oh, Randy, that's really sweet of you, but we're okay." She unlocked her car door.

"Natalie _please_..." Randy persisted. "You're both hurting and I don't think you're in any condition to drive. I want to help."

Natalie got into the car and fastened her seat belt. She looked over at Adrian who was staring out the window.

She turned to Randy and smiled sadly, unhooking her seat belt. At the gesture, Randy's face brightened.

"Great! I'll go get my car." He practically sprinted across the parking lot

"Randy!" Natalie called after him. When he turned around, she said "Not a police car, though. Mr. Monk couldn't handle sitting in the backseat with that window separating him from the front seat. You know how claustrophobic he is."

"No, I have my own car. It's a blue Honda. Is that okay?"  
Natalie laughed at the serious tone of his question.

"Yeah, that's fine."

She climbed out of her car, and watched Randy take off like a marathon runner. When she helped Adrian out of the car, he groaned.  
"It's okay, Mr. Monk. Randy's going to drive us."

Seconds later, Randy pulled up in his car and rolled down the window. "See, I told you I have a blue Honda. Isn't it cool?"  
"It sure is, Randy!" Natalie laughed, grateful for his unintentional humor.

"Well, hop in!"  
"I'd better sit in the back with Mr. Monk. Just to make sure he's okay."

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Randy said, opening the car door.

Adrian and Natalie climbed into the backseat. "We'll be home soon, Mr. Monk." Natalie reassured him.

Randy turned the key and started the car. "So Natalie, do we need to go by your place?"  
"Yeah. I need to pick up some clothes and let Julie know what's going on."  
"How's Julie doing?"  
"Oh she's great; really excited about starting college. God, I can't believe she's growing up so fast!"

"I guess we'd better get going." Randy said, as they pulled out of the parking lot.

(Later at Natalie's house.....)

"Here we are, Mr. Monk. Just have a seat on the sofa and I'll be ready in a few minutes. I just need to get a few- Oh Julie! You're home!"

"Hi, Mom." Julie said, hugging Natalie. "Oh, Mr. Monk's here too!" she walked over to Adrian and tugged on his arm in order to coax him off the sofa.

"Oh, you know what, Julie? Mr. Monk isn't doing too well right now. That's what I came home to tell you. I'm going to be staying with him tonight. Do you think you'll be okay here by yourself?"

Julie frowned. "Actually, Mom, can I please spend the night at Tracy's house? I know you told me 'no' earlier but that was before we had our fight. I promise I'll never talk back to you again and I'm sorry I yelled at you. And I'll clean my room and everything. I love you, Mom."

Natalie's eyes filled with tears as she hugged her daughter tightly. "Oh honey. I love you, too. Of course you can go." She looked up to see Randy smiling at her.  
"Randy, can you watch Mr. Monk for a minute?"

"Sure, take your time."

Natalie turned to Julie. "Honey, I need to talk to you. Can we go into the kitchen?"

"Sure Mom. Are you okay?"

"Let's sit here at the table." Natalie said.

"Mom, what's wrong? You're scaring me. Is it Mr. Monk?"

Tears slid down Natalie's cheeks and she brushed them away. "Something happened to Dr. Kroger."

"Dr. Kroger! What happened?"

"He had a heart attack."

Julie's face filled with fear. "Is he going to be okay? I could make him a card. I'm sure that would make him feel better."

Natalie shook her head. "Oh Julie, that's really sweet, but Dr. Kroger's gone..."

Julie's mouth trembled. "H-he died?"

"Yes, honey." Natalie brushed the hair from Julie's face.

When Julie began to sob, Natalie held her close. "I loved Dr. Kroger." Julie said. "I-I just never told him. He was always so nice to me whenever he came to Mr. Monk's house or I saw him in his office. I even wrote a paper about him at school and I never told him about it."

"I'm sure he knows how much you loved him, sweetheart."

"So that's why Mr. Monk looks so sad, right?"

"Yeah, I just don't think it's set in yet. Captain Stottlemeyer said that Mr. Monk should be at home in familiar surroundings, but I think I should stay with him tonight."

"Do you want me to come with you?"  
"Thank you, Julie, but you go stay with Tracy. Why don't you call her and let her know you're coming? I'll have Lieutenant Disher drive you over there."

Julie hugged her mom. "Thanks."

As they entered the living room, Julie ran to Adrian and threw her arms around him, causing him to flinch.

"Julie I don't think Mr. Monk likes-"  
Natalie's protest was cut off by Randy's hand on her arm.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Monk." Julie said "I loved Dr. Kroger too."

"He'll be fine, Natalie." Randy said. "I think a hug is just what he needs right now."

"Yeah, you're right." Natalie said. "God, I can't believe Dr. Kroger is really gone."

"Me either." Julie said, beginning to cry again. "I loved him."

Randy put his arm around Julie and rubbed her back.

"I'd better call Tracy and then get packed. Is Mr. Monk going to be okay?"  
"Mr. Monk is stronger than he realizes." Natalie said. "It will take a long time but he'll work through this."  
"I'm glad he has you, Mom."

With a tear filled smile, Julie went to her room.


	4. Chapter 4

Mr. Monk Loses A Friend

**Chapter 4**

"Here we are." Randy said as the blue Honda came to a stop in front of Adrian's house. "Thank you again, Randy. I really appreciate you giving us a ride."

Randy smiled. "No problem." He held the door open as Natalie helped Adrian out of the car.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?"  
"As long as Mr. Monk's okay, that's all I care about."

"Okay, well call me if you need anything."

Natalie gave him a hug. "I will."

(A few minutes later)

"Okay, Mr. Monk, home sweet home." Natalie closed the front door and sat her bag on the floor. She guided Adrian to the sofa and turned on some of his favorite music. "I'm going to put my things in the guest room and I'll be right back."

Adrian watched in silence as Natalie left the room. Within seconds she returned. "Mr. Monk, I'm going to make you something to eat. You must be starving. I know I am." She went into the kitchen and quickly prepared some sandwiches and lemonade then carried them into the living room.

"Here you are, Mr. Monk. A sandwich just the way you like it; lightly toasted with no crusts, four equal sized pieces of cheese, two strips of bacon-same sizes, and two slices of turkey. It looked so good, I made one for myself!"

She sat the sandwiches and drinks on the coffee table, which sat at an angle. She always wondered why Mr. Monk never straightened it. It seemed kind of out of place in a house where everything was symmetrical, but when she tried to move it, Mr. Monk got so upset that Natalie was afraid he would fire her. If he wanted to tell her why he liked it that way, he would do it when he felt comfortable.

She devoured her sandwich, amazed to find that she was hungrier than she thought. Had she even had any breakfast or lunch? What about Julie? She must be starving! Julie was almost in college. If she was hungry, she could get her own food. It was harder and harder for Natalie to realize that. Julie was growing up right before her eyes.

When she glanced at Mr. Monk, she noticed that he sat perfectly still.

"Mr. Monk, you need to eat something."

She ran into the kitchen and grabbed a pair of disposable gloves. Desperate times called for desperate measures. If Mr. Monk didn't eat, he'd surely get sick and then what would she do? When she sat back down on the sofa, she took one of the sandwich halves and showed it to Mr. Monk.

To her dismay, he turned his head.

"Mr. Monk, please eat something. Will you do that for me?"

Adrian turned to face her and took the sandwich half. Natalie felt a huge sigh of relief when he popped it into his mouth. She handed him the glass of lemonade. "I made it just the way you like it. You told me that Trudy always made it extra sweet. If it's not to your satisfaction, just tell me."

Adrian took a drink from the glass and smiled at Natalie. "Thank you, Mr. Monk".

They ate the rest of the meal in silence and as soon as they finished, Adrian rose from the sofa, taking the dishes with him.

"Mr. Monk, you don't have to do that." Natalie said. "I think you just need to relax." Then she realized that cleaning was therapeutic for him. It's best to let him do what he wants. Hopefully in time he'll come to terms with losing Dr. Kroger. Right now he was still in such a state of shock. They all were. She kept thinking that any minute Dr. Kroger would be calling Mr. Monk's house. Tears came to her eyes, but she willed them away. She'd done enough crying for one day. No need to get Mr. Monk upset.

"Dishes are all clean, Natalie." Adrian called from the kitchen.

Natalie was so surprised to hear his voice that he startled her.

"Thank you, Mr. Monk."

She looked at her watch. "What would you like to do now? It's still early."

Adrian didn't answer, which caused Natalie's heart to sink. She watched as he walked over to the bookshelf and removed his favorite picture of Trudy. He kissed it and put it back on the shelf.

"Hey, Mr. Monk I have an idea."

Natalie went to Adrian's shelf and pulled out a video tape. "Why don't we watch this? I know it's your favorite."

She inserted the tape into the VCR and pushed _play_. Images of Trudy and Adrian filled the screen. Natalie could see him smiling as he sat down on the sofa and watched the video. It was nice to see him happy.... for a while at least.

They sat for several hours, watching video after video of Adrian and Trudy. She was so beautiful. No wonder he was so distraught over her death. When the video came to an end, she looked over and smiled.

Adrian was sleeping soundly on the sofa. Gently she took off his shoes and positioned him comfortably on the sofa. She got his pillow out of the closet, unzipped it and then put the pillow under his head. Immediately he snuggled into the familiar scent. She was amazed that he could still sense Trudy's presence on that pillow, after so many years. Finally she covered him with a blanket and kissed him on the forehead.  
"Goodnight, Mr. Monk."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_Natalie struggled to focus on the blurry blue and white figure that stood before her._

"_Who are you? Why are you here?" _

"_He's hurting now..." The voice said. "Maybe even more than before. He just hasn't come to terms with what he's lost. That's why he needs you."_

"_But who are you?"_

"_Take care of him. Don't let anything happen to him."_

_Suddenly the image came into view; a beautiful woman with blond hair and a flowing blue dress. _

_Trudy...._

Natalie woke with a start; her heart beating rapidly beneath her chest. Gradually her eyes adjusted to her surroundings.

_Where was she?_

Then she remembered. She was at Mr. Monk's house... and Dr. Kroger was gone.

The realization hit her hard...

_Mr. Monk!_

God, how could she have forgotten to check on him? She threw back the covers and padded into Mr. Monk's bedroom. Like the rest of the house, it was immaculately clean. Pictures of Trudy filled every available space. Her eyes landed on the bed, which hadn't been slept in.

She suddenly remembered that she had left Mr. Monk sleeping on the sofa. What was she thinking? She should have let him sleep in his own bed... surrounded by memories of Trudy.

Well, maybe she could coax him off the sofa. She knew he couldn't be too comfortable. Quietly she entered the living room. The only light came from the moon outside. It streamed into the room, casting a shadow on the hardwood floor. She could see the sofa in the darkness. "Mr. Monk?" She whispered. "It's me, Natalie."

There was no response.

She reached over and touched the blanket.

"Oh my God...."

Her entire body went numb with fear.

_This can't be happening. Not now..._

Fingers trembling, she rummaged through her purse until she found her cell phone. As steadily as possible, she dialed the number. Her heart raced as the phone began to ring.

"Hello?" a groggy voice answered.

Natalie struggled to keep her voice from breaking.

"Randy? This is Natalie. Mr. Monk is missing."


	6. Chapter 6

Mr. Monk Loses A Friend

**Chapter 6**

Natalie sat the phone down and sighed. How could she have let this happen? Randy seemed genuinely concerned and said he would do anything to help, but this was her fault. She was responsible for Mr. Monk.

She tried to relax but it was impossible. What if he was hurt? The captain trusted her to take care of him.

A pounding headache settled beneath her forehead. Where could Mr. Monk have gone at 3am? He could be anywhere. The thought welled her eyes with hot tears.

_I'm sorry, Mr. Monk...._

The sound of a car approaching followed by car doors slamming brought her out of her thoughts. Within seconds the doorbell rang, followed by knocking.

"Natalie!" the Captain's muffled voice said from outside her front door. She rose and brushed the tears from her cheeks before answering.

"What happened?" Leland asked, as he walked into the house.

"H-he fell asleep on the sofa and I didn't want to wake him. I was in the guest room and when I went to check on him, he was gone. God, this is all my fault!"

Wearily, she sank into Adrian's favorite chair.

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself." Randy said, crouching down beside her. "You couldn't have known this would happen."

"Yeah, but I _should_ have known, Randy! I was responsible for him! The Captain trusts me. Or at least he did..."

Leland put his hand on her shoulder. "Randy's right... for once."

Randy's face lit up in a grin. "Really? You mean it?"

Leland rolled his eyes. "Uh, yeah Randy. Look, why don't you put out an APB on Monk?"

When Randy left the room, Natalie grabbed Leland's arm. "An APB? Are you serious?"

"It's just a precaution." Leland said. "We'll probably end up canceling it within an hour or so, but hopefully we can find him faster this way."

"So now what?"

"Well, now we just sit here and wait." Leland said.

Natalie rose from her seat. "No. I can't do that. I have to find Mr. Monk."  
"Natalie we're going to do the best we can. I've got every officer available looking for him. I don't want you to be put into any danger."

"I'm sorry, Captain, but I'm responsible for this. I have to find him." Without waiting for him to respond, she went into the guest bedroom, emerging seconds later in a sweatshirt and jeans.

"Natalie! You can't go out there alone!" Leland said.

"I'll go with her, Sir." Randy offered.

Leland sighed. "Okay, but you call me the minute you find out anything, you hear me?"

"Thanks, Captain." Natalie said, hugging him. She put on her jacket and grabbed her purse then followed Randy out to his car.

Alone in the house, Leland picked up a picture of Adrian and Trudy and stared at it.

"Monk, I hope to hell that you come home soon."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Randy and Natalie drove through the quiet streets of San Francisco, searching for any sign of Adrian.

"Where do you think he might have gone?"  
Natalie leaned her head against the passenger seat. "God Randy, I have no idea. I didn't even hear him leave. What kind of assistant am I if I can't even keep track of Mr. Monk for one night?"  
"A great one." Randy observed.

Natalie smiled. "Thanks."

They continued to drive in silence, but with each passing moment, Natalie grew more and more anxious. "Randy, what if we never find him?"  
Randy reached for her hand. "We'll find him, I promise."  
"Hey, what about Ambrose? Would Monk go over there?"  
Natalie shook her head. "No, that's the last place he would go."

Randy turned down a residential street.  
"Wait!" Natalie yelled, causing him to slam on the breaks.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I think I know where he might be."

Minutes later they pulled up in front of a large iron gate.

The cemetery.

Despite all the murder cases that she had helped Adrian with, the thought of being in a cemetery at night terrified her.  
"Randy, maybe this is a bad idea."

Randy extended his hand. "I won't let anything happen to you." He pulled out a flashlight and together they walked through the cemetery until they came to an immaculately tended headstone. Streams of moonlight illuminated Trudy's name.  
"He's not here." Natalie said, falling to her knees. "What are we going to do?"

Randy kneeled down and put his arm around her. "We won't stop looking for him, Natalie."

"This place is creepy. Can we go now?"  
Randy nodded. "Yeah, I agree. Let's get out of here."

As soon as they were safely in the car, the police radio crackled with static:

_We have a disturbance on Bryant Street, just north of 24__th__. Suspect broke into brick building, reportedly threatened a security officer and may be armed. _

"Damn!" Randy said. "Well, hopefully this won't take long."  
"Are you serious? Randy, what about Mr. Monk? You promised we would look until we find him!"  
"Natalie, it's my job to-"  
"Look, I don't give a _damn_ about your job, okay? I thought you were Mr. Monk's friend!" Hot tears stung her eyes and the sudden tightness in her throat made it difficult to breathe.  
"Well of course I am, but -"  
"Just _forget about it_, okay? Go do what you have to do!" Angrily she looked out the window, ignoring the tension headache that was growing behind her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Natalie." Randy reached over to touch her shoulder, but she jerked it away. "I just-"  
"Don't you have a crime to solve?" Natalie snapped, unable to keep the tears from spilling onto her cheeks.

With a sigh, Randy pulled away from the curb and headed for Bryant Street.

Minutes later, they were pulling into the back parking lot of a small building. Natalie ignored Randy as they got out of the car and watched through blurred vision while he went to consult with the officers on the scene.

"What's going on?" She heard him ask.  
"There was a break in and a threat made to the security officer."

Randy wrote the info in his notepad. "Was he armed?"  
"That I don't know." The officer admitted.

"Where is he now?"  
"I guess he's still inside. No one has seen anyone leave."

"Wait... he's still inside?" Randy asked incredulous. "Why would he be there, unless he's waiting for someone?"  
"I'm going in." he informed the officer.

Despite his protests, Natalie followed him into the building. As soon as they entered the dimly lit lobby, she froze.

"Randy, I know this place!"

"What?"

"I know this place! This is Dr. Kroger's office!"

"You stay out here." Randy ordered.  
"No! I'm coming with you!" Natalie said. "You can't just leave me out there by myself! Besides, you promised we'd find Mr. Monk!"

"All right, but stay close to me." Randy said. "I don't want you getting hurt."

As they walked through the lobby, a strange feeling came over her. She had been here, just days before; picking up Mr. Monk from his therapy session with Dr. Kroger.

"Okay, let's check it out." Randy said, after taking a statement from the security guard.

As they neared Dr. Kroger's office, they could see evidence of intrusion; broken items littered the carpet.

Natalie picked up a piece of a broken lamp.

"Oh my God, who would do such a thing? Dr. Kroger would be heartbroken if he saw this."

"You're right about that." Randy said. "Here we are. Now be extremely quiet, okay?" He turned the knob and pushed the door open. They both walked inside, stopping dead in their tracks.

"Mr. Monk!"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

From his favorite chair, Adrian looked up in shock to find Natalie running toward him.  
"Natalie, what are you-"  
Natalie rushed into his arms, hugging him tightly.  
"Mr. Monk! I was so worried!"

"I'm sorry Natalie. I just-"

Adrian struggled to free himself from her grasp. "Hey! You're choking me!"  
"Sorry." Natalie said, quickly releasing him. "I was just so worried!"

"You already mentioned that." Adrian pointed out.  
"Is everything okay in here?" Randy asked from the doorway.

Natalie brushed the tears from her eyes. "Yeah. Everything is fine, Randy. I can't thank you enough."  
Randy grinned at the comment. "Just doing my job. Oh, I called the Captain. He'll be here shortly. Good to see you, Monk."  
"You too, Randy. What's going on, Natalie?"  
"Mr. Monk, you should be telling me! Do you have any idea how worried I was to wake up and find you gone?"  
"Not really."

Adrian's honesty made her laugh. "I was _terrified_ Mr. Monk! Why did you break into Dr. Kroger's office? In the middle of the night?"

"I had to talk to Dr. Kroger." Adrian said softly.

"Dr..."

Taken aback by his answer, Natalie lowered herself into Dr. Kroger's chair.

"Dr. Kroger... But Mr. Monk... Dr Kroger-"

"Adrian Monk, you gave us one hell of a scare." Leland said as he entered the office.

Natalie shot him a worried look. "He... wanted to talk to Dr. Kroger."  
Leland's expression softened. "Dr. Kroger?"  
"Yes..." said Natalie softly.

"Oh God..." Leland said as he sat down on the sofa across from them. "Randy, I think you should join us. And close the door."

Randy gazed around the room. "It's kind of creepy being in her now, isn't it? You know, now that Dr. Kroger is-"

"Randy-"

"Sorry Captain." Randy said.

"It's kind of peaceful in here." Natalie said, squeezing Adrian's hand. "I can see why Mr. Monk loves it here so much. I wish I had a waterfall in my house."  
"Monk, you understand about Dr. Kroger, right?" Leland said. "It hurts like hell for me to say it, but Dr. Kroger is gone. I know it's hard and to lose two people you care about... well, I couldn't even begin to imagine." His eyes began to fill with tears and he had to fight to will them away.

"Losing one person is bad enough." Natalie said. "When I lost Mitch, I just-"

When her voice broke, Mr. Monk surprised her by squeezing her hand.

"Yeah, Dr. Kroger was a great man." Randy said. "It's hard to believe he's really gone. You did a hell of a job solving his cleaning lady's murder, Monk."  
"Thanks, Randy." Adrian said. "That means a lot."

Randy smiled. "Don't thank me. Thank Dr. Kroger. He called the police station and requested a reinstatement to the force. The Captain was out of town so I went ahead and filed the paperwork. I guess I forgot to tell you, didn't I, Captain?"  
He looked nervously at Leland, who laughed. "I guess you did. But good work on finding Monk, Lieutenant."

"Thanks, Randy. "Adrian said with a smile.

"Dr. Kroger really loved you, Mr. Monk." Natalie said. Tears filled her eyes once more. "I-I just can't believe he's gone."

They sat in silence for several minutes, until the sound of sniffling broke Natalie's thoughts. She looked over to find Mr. Monk, leaning over with his face buried in his hands. She rose from her chair and went to him. Gently she laid her hand on his back. When he looked at her, his face was wet with tears.

"Oh, Mr. Monk..." She coaxed him out of the chair and comforted him with a hug. Seconds later they were joined by Leland and Randy.

The four of them held onto each other...

Missing their friend together.

**The End.**


End file.
